Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Meeting with G&T teacher

I have some concerns with how the G&T teacher is instructing my dd7. The teacher has never taught G&T before and has no G&T training. Dd is happier this year and not complaining about school... her love of learning is also returning.

However, we are into our 4th month of school and they just finished the 2nd math unit. The teacher has the students do a pre-test on the units and then a post-test. Dd scored worse on her post-test than she did on her pre-test. Some of the stuff was clearly wrong. Then there were things such as a clock where she had to put the time 7:20 and her short hand wasn't exactly on the 7 but it was clear what dd meant and the teacher didn't mark it wrong. But then on the post test (with the very same question) dd filled in the clock the exact same way with the hour hand just not quite on the 7 and the teacher marked it wrong.

Another problem has to do with Everyday Math and there was a story problem where the student has to put in the two parts and then the whole (and not just answer the question). Dd just answered the question, didn't fill out the box where it says part-part-whole (an example would be Part= 16 Part 14 Whole 30. And dd just put 30 as the answer. She also didn't write the number sentence... model or whatever they call it.

Some stuff she clearly missed but they weren't things that she missed on the pre-test.

My concerns are:

1). The teacher will have her math group working on Unit 3 but when they work independently in their math workbooks they are working ahead and can be on Unit 8.

2). When asked dd says she only worked once with her teacher in the math group for instruction. So it seems dd, her group, and perhaps others are spending more time working independently on their math workbooks then being instructed.

I used to volunteer once a week in class and would have many kids raise their hand and ask for help with problems in their workbooks while working independently. I would ask them if they were taught whatever concept it was they needed help with by their teacher yet and the answer was always no. It's as if they are just stuck with their noses in math workbooks and not being instructed.

The teacher went from having many volunteers in her class for math and reading to none. We got an email a week ago saying that she didn't want volunteers anymore. So now I have no idea how things are going in the class.


I emailed the teacher and she would like to meet with us. She says she's concerned that dd will rush through math. She also says that when dd is at the math group with the teacher that she will says she knows things and the teacher says she doesn't think she knows them.

There are quite a few unhappy parents to the point where they have a meeting scheduled with the principal and the specialist in charge of the G&T curriculum and NOT with the teacher. Personally I feel uncomfortable with this type of meeting. They are complaining that they don't think their kids are learning, they also complain that the teacher is constantly changing the routines/structure to the day or how math block is done.... literally from week to week and the kids need stability.

I figured I should first meet with the teacher but I don't even know how to fix the problem. I feel like dd isn't getting enough instruction and is basically grade skipped in math but left to just do the workbook on her own (along with all the other kids).

Any ideas on how to fix this situation?

Where exactly does the teacher think the short hand is pointing at 7:20?

The short hand isn't quite on the 7, it's right before the 7. Dd has sloppy handwriting and I know in her mind it's pointed at the 7.

It shouldn't be on the 7. It should be after the 7, 1/3 of the way to the 8. Is the teacher clear about this?

If she wasn't then that would be scary.

Does the teacher know that this meeting is happening? If so, maybe you can ask to observe the class first for a day, so you are better informed about what's going on.

My line, repeated until blue in the face:

Smart kids still need instruction.

I think somewhere in the G&T lore, this point gets muddled.

No the teacher isn't clear about this, and her teacher last year just taught her (and the rest of the class) that it can point to the hour it's on.

My complaint is that she didn't mark it wrong the first time, dd drew it the same way on the post test and then the teacher marked it wrong.

I don't know if she does know about this meeting. I have been invited to attend and share my concerns but it makes me very uncomfortable and I don't think I will attend.

ETA: I think the reason the teacher cut off volunteers because parents have been complaining to her about how she is running the class. For instance, for reading groups she has the kids reading The Boxcar Children series and Cam Jansen instead of books with more substance to them like Junior Great Books.

Yeah, dd isn't really self-motivated. She will do her work but to the bare minimum that is required. The workbooks don't even have instruction in them, if they need to understand a concept they have to go get a reference book off the shelf and look up what they need help with but very few of the kids actually do that.

ETA: We had a day where we go in and dd gives us a tour of her classroom and shows us what she is doing. She showed me her math workbook and the pages she had done ahead of where her math group is and some of the problems were wrong. I asked dd how she got the answer and she said she guessed. I asked her teacher about this and she said that that is ok, that they can guess. The problem is I don't see them getting to that unit and correcting dd's guesses any time soon.

It's ok for kids to make mistakes but if you don't correct them and teach them the right way how will they learn it? They're just going to learn it wrong. I'm not a teacher but this method just seems like a bad idea.